1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for digitally generating and controlling image data for forming an image on a sheet, and a program for executing image processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus, a processing mode for reducing color material consumption, a so-called toner save mode, is widely known as a function that lowers print density and reduces printing costs. In recent years, even for the processing in the toner save mode, an image quality equal to that available in ordinary printing is required while reducing printing costs.
One such processing method is to retain a plurality of tables for toner saving used in printing so that an image having a quality equal to that available in ordinary printing can be obtained even by the processing in the toner save mode (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-235237). Another processing method is to switch toner saving methods to an appropriate method for each object included in a document to be printed (to thin out pixels for a predetermined period or to use a gamma modification table for toner saving) (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-083845).